Coraline (2008)

A little girl finds a door to an alternative life, with a mother that cooks great food & a father that's all fun. In the "other" life, everyone has buttons for eyes, which seems strange, but Coraline is willing to accept it. But things start to get scary when the "other" mother asks Coraline to sew on her own button eyes in order to stay in the alternative life forever.

I saw this movie in 3-D, & good thing, because the story itself was not that great. I've seen other kids films that I like, including Kung Fu Panda, but I couldn't relate to this one.

The 3-D technology was awesome - so much better than those movies we used to watch on TV when I was a kid. The 3-D glasses were even sturdy plastic instead of the cheap-o paper ones we got back then. & the stop-motion animation was cool to watch too.

Henry Selick directed, who also directed The Nightmare Before Christmas.

Coraline on IMDb

El Bulto (Mexico, 1992)

A reactionary man is hit in the head at a 1971 protest in Mexico City & sent into a coma that lasts 20 years. His children were babies in 1971, but when he wakes up they are adults with lives of their own. In his mind, he is a 20-something man living in a 40-something body. The movie follows his adjustment to life 20 years into the "future" as well as the reactions of his friends & family.

Well done.

El Bulto on IMDb

Hot Fuzz (UK, 2007)

From the makers of Shaun of the Dead, an over-the-top excellent London cop gets tranferred to a lazy country town, where mysterious accidents keep happening.

This one was lots of fun!

Fun Fact: Cate Blanchett plays Janine, Nicholas Angel's ex-girlfriend. Her face is covered by a mask the whole time she's on screen.

Hot Fuzz on IMDb

Stranger Than Fiction (2006)

An amazingly boring IRS tax man starts hearing a voice that is narrating his life. His friends & coworkers think he needs a vacation. When the narrator mentions that he would soon die, he decides to find the author of his story to ask her to change the ending.

The idea was interesting, but I didn't feel that this movie carried it off very well. The love interest was unconvincing, the sets stark & devoid of personality, Queen Latifah's character seemed puposeless. Even though the film has a great cast of actors, the story fell flat.

Stranger Than Fiction on IMDb

The Prestige (2006)

Two magicians vye for the top spot in the public's eye with disastrous results.

Rarely do I watch a movie twice, & then only after several years between viewings. I watched this movie twice in one week, & still want to see it again.

The Prestige on IMDb

Watchmen (2009)

It looks like someone is trying to kill off all of the superheroes in New York City. But who? & Why?

I read this book on a recommendation from my friend Ryan. It was my first graphic novel, & I really enjoyed it, so I was looking forward to seeing the movie.

I wasn't disappointed. The movie follows the book very closely, going so far as to show exact replicas of frames in the graphic novel in slow motion. The book was written in 1986, & the film sticks to the style of the times flawlessly.

One word of caution: If you go into it expecting an action flick, you may be disappointed. This movie is much deeper than that. The topic (saving the world from destruction) may seem trite these days, but Watchmen was written when we were still in the middle of the Cold War, & when ideas like this were novel.

Watchmen on IMDb

Captain Abu Raed (Jordan, 2007)

An old man lives in the poor part of town & works at the airport as a janitor. One day he finds a captain's hat in the trash & wears it home. The neighborhood kids are convinced he is a pilot, & he begins to tell them stories of far away places, living his own dreams through his stories. It is not only a study of rich versus poor, but a debate on what is right & what is wrong.

This movie reminded me of Ali Zaoua from Morocco, but was much better - more complex with a deeper impact.

I saw this film as part of the Sedona International Film Festival.

Captain Abu Raed on IMDb

They Killed Sister Dorothy (2008)

A nun is murdered in the Brazilian rainforest because of her advocacy for its preservation. This documentary follows the trials of those accused, including eye-witness interviews, as well as footage in the courtrooms. Martin Sheen narrates.

I wonder what the other side of the story is.

I saw this film as part of the Sedona International Film Festival.

They Killed Sister Dorothy on IMDb

Nothing Really Matters (Canada, 2008)

An agoraphobic man sits in his bathtub contemplating suicide as he narrates a series of flashbacks that explain his current state of mind.

This film was very well done. It started out funny, & grew more & more serious as the story went along. Leo was a very likeable character, making it easy to sympathize with him. Carly, Leo's girlfriend, & even Joe, the landlord, were more complex than it might seem.

Interesting fact: Pascale Bussières, the actress who plays Carly, sang the song over the closing credits.

I saw this film as part of the Sedona International Film Festival.

Nothing Really Matters on IMDb